Fretting device for stringed instruments.



H. SGHLEMMER. FRETTING DEVICE FOR STRING-ED INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1909. 974,094. I Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

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FRETTING DEVICE FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1909.

Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEE g f at \WN FR 6 1 M y 7 v 1 5 HENRY SCI-ILEMMER,

OF EFFINGHAM,

ILLINOIS.

FRETTING DEVICE FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 25, 1910.

Application filed September 30, 1909. Serial No. 520,267.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY SGHLEMMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Eflingham, in the county of Eflingham and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fretting Devices for Stringed Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention consists of a tone regulator for stringed instruments, and has for its object to provide a device, which greatly facilitates the tuning of such instruments and with which a greater degree of accuracy is obtained than in the ordinary manner of tuning.

\Vhile this device is particularly adapted for use on the instruments employed in the musical instrument constituting the subjectmatter of my copending application, Serial No. 401,387, filed Nov. 9, 1907, it can be advantageously used in pianos and on harps, mandolins, banjos, and the like.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, in which like numbers of reference denote like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1 is aperspective view of the device attached to the neck of a violin; Fig.

is a perspective view of the tone-regulating member; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the device, showing a different location thereof on the neck of the instrument than in Fig. 1.

For the purpose of illustration the device has been depicted in the drawings as being attached to an instrument having a single string, but it should be understood that it can be attached to an instrument having a plurality of strings. \Vhen the device is attached to a violin or the like the neck with which the ordinary instrument is equipped is modified and the form shown in the drawings substituted therefor.

The tone regulator comprises the block 1, which is secured to the neck 2 by the screw 3, or other suitable means, and to which the member 1 is pivoted by a. pin 5. Said member 4; is provided with a notch 6 in which the string 7 rests when said member occupics the position depicted in Figs. 1 and 3, and with a pair of arms 8, which are attached thereto by the pin 9, said arms 8 being connected by the spacing rods 10 and 1.1. The end of neck 2 is slotted at 12 between the sides 13 to which the member 1a is secured in said slot by the screws 15. The slot 16 in which a spring 17 is fastened is formed in one end of member 14 and is adapted to receive the spacing-rod 11, said spring being adapted to hold said spacingrod in said slot. In said member 14 is an opening 18 in which fits a nut 19, which nut is screw-threaded and through which thumbscrew 20 passes, said thumb-screw, also, extending through said member. Each side 13 is notched at 21, which forms a bearing for a projection 22 on the tuning-lever 23. Said tuning-lever is provided with a slot 2% in which the block 25 is fastened to the sides 26 by the pin 27. The depression 23 in said block 25 forms a seat for the end of the thumb-screw 20. The string 7 is secured at one end to the tuning-lever 23 by any ordinary means and passes through a notch 29 in the end of said tuning-lever, thence over the bridge 30 and the member 1, and is attached at its other end in the usual way to the body of the instrument, not shown in the drawings.

The regulation of the tone of a string with the device is as follows; hen the spacing-rod 11 is moved out of slot 16 memher a is rotated on pin 5 out of engagementwith string 7. The thumb-screw 20 upon being turned in one direction or another actuates tuning-lever 23 which increases or decreases the tension of string 7. Said string is tuned with tuning-lever 23 to play a tone of any desired pitch when member 4 is out of engagement therewith, so that when said member is rotated on pin 5 into engagement. with string 7, arms 8 are rotated on pin 9 and spacing-rod 11 is caused to enter notch 16 in which said spacing-rod is held by spring 17. Thus the string is fretted to a pitch higher than that of the free string. For example, if it is desired to pitch the tone of the string to play (l-sharp by means of the device, when the free string is pitched to (Z, the block 1 is secured adjacent bridge 30 to the neck 2 to cause the member 1 to engage said string at the point where it would ordinarily be stopped to play (Z-sharp, as shown in Fig. 1, when the string is tuned to play (Z, and, upon rotating said member into engagement with said string, the tone is raised to (Z-sharp. If the same string is to play f-sharp the block 1 is fastened to the neck 2 at the point where member t when rotated into engagement with said string would stop same to play f-sharp.

In like manner any tone that can be played on string 7 can be obtained by securing block 1 to neck 2 in the position which will cause member 4 to stop said string at the point for playing the desired tone. hen the member 4 is disengaged from the string 7, the arms 8 either extend outwardly from the neck 2 as indicated in Fig. 1, being held in such position by a suitable support, (not shown), or being held in this position by the frictional engagement of the arms 8 with the ends of the block l, or the arms may be moved to lie against the neck 2. In the latter case, the block 4 is caused to extend downwardly to lie against the neck 2, and the spacing rod 11 underlies the mem-' ber 14, said arms 8 being projected upwardly.

I claim:

1. A fretting device for stringed instruments, comprising, in combination, a support, a member pivoted upon said support and adapted to be rocked into engagement with a string, means pivoted upon said mem ber whereby the latter is controlled, a slotted element carried by said support adapted to receive the free end of said controlling means and spring means for retaining said free end in said element.

2. A fretting device for stringed instruments, comprising, in combination, a support, a pivot block carried by said support, a fretting element pivoted to the sides of said block and adapted to be carried into engagement with said string, means for controlling said fretting element pivotally secured to the sides of the latter, and mounted to rock above a string and a locking means carried by said support and adapted to have a resilient engagement with said controlling means.

3. A fretting device for stringed instruments, comprising, in combination, a support, a pivot block carried by said support, a fretting element pivoted to said block, controlling means pivotally carried by said fretting element and adapted to project in front of a string, and a locking device adapted to resiliently clasp said controlling means to lock said fretting element in engagement with a string.

4. A fretting device for stringed instruments, comprising, in combination, a support, a pivot block carried by said support, a fretting element pivoted to said block, controlling means pivotally carried by said fretting element and adapted to project above a string, and a slotted projection carried by said support into which the free end of said controlling means is adapted to lock to maintain said fretting device in engagement with the string.

The combination of a support, a block secured thereto, a string, a member pivoted to said block and adapted to be rotated into engagement with said string, a pair of arms fastened to said member and adapted to hold said member in engagement with said string, a spacing-rod connecting said arms, and means formed at the upper end of said support and having a slot therein, said slot being adapted to receive and hold said spacing-rod when the member is in engagement with the string, whereby said arms are held in place.

6. The combination of a support, a block secured thereto, a string, a member pivoted to said block and adapted to be rotated into engagement with said string, a pair of arms fastened to said member, a spacingrod connecting said arms, a member secured to said support and having a slot therein, said slot being adapted to receive said spacing-rod, a spring adapted to hold said spacing-rod in said slot, whereby said arms hold said firstmentioned member in engagement with said string.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY SCHLEMMER.

Vitnesses CHAS. FEUERBORN, A. J. l VORMAN. 

